Queensland Regional Art Awards

The Queensland Regional Art Awards (QRAA) is an annual visual arts prize and exhibition for established and emerging artists living in regional and remote Queensland. The program aims to provide a platform for further professional development.

In 2017, the QRAA theme was ‘Iconic Queensland’. Queensland is rich with iconic structures, people, locations, events and lifestyles that shape the State’s identity. Artists were invited to consider the unique and iconic elements within their own regions, to produce works that reflect our diverse Queensland communities.

The theme was to be addressed in an accompanying artist statement of 100 – 150 words. All entries were eligible for the $10,000 Flying Arts ‘Art for Life’ Award and for selection in the touring exhibition.

Artist: Jo St BakerArtist Location: RedcliffeMedium: Bamboo resin and sand sculptured 7 figures (2017)Dimensions: 50x 50x 50cmArtist Statement:
Creating dribble castles of sand from an early age has ignited in me
the love of sculptural forms made possible in nature.
Anthropomorphic figures formed in the sand as it ran through my
fingers resembling classical bodies set in stone.
Like mangroves sprouting out of shallow water, The Sandmen Series
developed from looking very closely at the small things that to me
are an iconic representation of life and community on the coastline
of the Moreton Bay Region.

Artist: Jo St BakerArtist Location: RedcliffeMedium: Bamboo resin and sand sculptured 7 figures (2017)Dimensions: 50x 50x 50cmArtist Statement:
Creating dribble castles of sand from an early age has ignited in me
the love of sculptural forms made possible in nature.
Anthropomorphic figures formed in the sand as it ran through my
fingers resembling classical bodies set in stone.
Like mangroves sprouting out of shallow water, The Sandmen Series
developed from looking very closely at the small things that to me
are an iconic representation of life and community on the coastline
of the Moreton Bay Region.

Photographer: Jo St Baker

Iconic Suburban Summer Rituals: Nana’s Back Garden

Artist: Erin DunneArtist Location: RockhamptonMedium: Watercolour and ink on Saunders Waterford paper (2017)Dimensions: 56x 76x 0cmArtist Statement:
Sometimes the iconic images that define a place can best be
identified by looking beyond grand monuments and gestures, and
instead amongst the banal repetition of the humble, every-day
rituals undertaken by its residents.
When I moved into my Nana’s house in Rockhampton a couple of years ago, one of the things that fascinated me, as a recent arrival
to the area, was the regimented and fervent passion for manicuring
lawns and gardens. Every weekend, a dissonant orchestra of lawn mowers, leaf blowers and whipper snippers comes to life and fills the street, before being replaced by the comforting tick and whoosh of sprinklers and hoses.
I’ve depicted Nana performing this iconic suburban Queensland
weekend ritual of watering the back garden, using watercolours to
evoke the early morning light from the summer sunrise drenching the lush green lawn, and the depth of shadow amongst the subtropical
plants.

Photographer: Erin Dunne

Everyone Knows That One Girl

Artist: Shanoa ReaArtist Location: WoombyeMedium: Colour Pencil on Paper (2017)Dimensions: 23.5x 32x 2cmArtist Statement:
The reason why I make art is because it not only makes me happy,
but others too. If I can inspire or brighten up someone’s life, it’s well
worth my time and effort. I am very much into fashion, so when
I saw that the theme was Iconic Queensland, I instantly thought of
the typical Art Chic look: highly trendy, can pull off a short fringe
and loves fashion!
Everyone knows at least one alternative girl. Maybe she’s not even
an artist, but she is very much in tune with her feelings and how
others are feeling. She is very open-minded and non-judgmental.
Friendships are really important to her and she can’t live without
music.
The Australian bush flowers I have chosen mean: perseverance
and willingness to try; strength and courage to cope; renews
enthusiasm, endurance and inner strength; self-approval and
acceptance; and releases fear of rejection.

Photographer: Sarah Williams

Votive

Artist: Meaghan SheltonArtist Location: ImbilMedium: Crochet, starch, found items. (2017)Dimensions: 120x 120x 10cmArtist Statement:
Votive is a selection of works made during my residency at the
Gympie Woodworkers’ Museum in February 2017.
The history of the timber industry is most recognisable as a
Queensland icon. The work was originally created for the old mill
office at the Museum, as an installation based work. The austerity
of the building reflects the hardship of pioneering days.
It was the absence of the feminine that drew me to the office. Votive
speaks of stories omitted and overlooked. The subtle differences in
colour, due to age and materials, reflect the unspoken experiences
of colonial women.
The doilies and lace remain remnants of their struggle and
testament to the obsolescence of sentimentalising and isolating
women.

Artist: Alan TullochArtist Location: IpswichMedium: Print Performance on Video (2017)Dimensions: 86x 65cmArtist Statement:
Float is a print performance quick-paced as an edited video. It
stages a connection between an arguably iconic regional backyard
in the former coal mining region of Ipswich and the iconic Great Barrier Reef.
Under a fairy-light draped clothes-hoist, a tropically decorated swimming pool is set up. Onto the surface of the pool’s water,
the artist dry screen-prints Ipswich coal dust to create a floating image of the Queensland coastline, the Great Barrier Reef and the
location of the Galilee coal basin.
This image is then changed by water currents and actions of the artist to extend the meaning of the work.

Photographer: Alan Tulloch

Universal Pulse 1

Artist: Barbara CheshireArtist Location: GulliverMedium: Oil on canvas (2016)Dimensions: 76x 120x 4cmArtist Statement:
This artwork is a personal metaphor that signifies our waterways and their importance in the survival of life in Regional Queensland – the reds underpinning as the blood of life, black as all that is and white, the sacred and spiritual essence of such places.
This framework developed as a result of several different amazing
experiences at various regional waterways. Each waterway has the wonderful ‘Wow’ factor about it – a sensation that gave me a sense
of being refreshed and alive.
There’s a universal message: when humans respect, nurture and
look after our waterways, we benefit with life. This message is often demonstrated in the stewardship of our environment and is a subject repeated continually throughout historical, political,
social and cultural circumstances.
Our waterways are the life of Queensland.

Photographer: Barbara Cheshire

Bait Ball

Artist: Jane DennisArtist Location: CooktownMedium: Ink (2017)Dimensions: 100x 64x 4cmArtist Statement:
Fish: an icon of simple beauty and diversity. As an artist I seek the simple and most direct methods. As a printmaker, I have adopted the Japanese printing technique, GYOTAKU, using real fish as the
printing plate which reveals each species’ uniqueness.
Inking then rubbing, transferring a whole fish onto rice paper, I am
entranced by the biological details that each print reveals. Their scales and fins show how eternally prehistoric they are as our
living ancestors.
Diving amongst coral with fish shimmering in shoals, the ocean’s underworld is revealed as a beautiful experience.

Photographer: Jane Dennis

Surrender

Artist: Scott DenholmArtist Location: Moffat BeachMedium: Acrylic on canvas (2017)Dimensions: 76x 102x 3cmArtist Statement:
Noosa’s points are steeped in Queensland’s surfing history and culture. Geographically and culturally, Noosa is an icon of our great state – so iconic that it’s recognisable even from an elevated perspective rarely seen by those who visit and surf there.

Photographer: Scott Denholm

Stairway To Heaven

Artist: Helenna DohleArtist Location: LinvilleMedium: Pencil, copic Ciao markers (2017)Dimensions: 73x 53x 3cmArtist Statement:
In our local region (an hours drive away is local when you live rurally!) there is a magical little spot near Maidenwell, called Coomba Falls. The place is incredibly picturesque, with a small waterfall flowing off granite cliffs into a deep swimming hole. Now while I was mesmerised by the falls, it was something else entirely that captured my imagination: the hand carved stone steps leading down to them! Carved from the natural stone found there, they are a work of art in themselves. Each step is delightfully unique. What could be more iconic than a place such as this? A tourist attraction for miles around! Coomba Falls blends the beauty of the natural world with the beauty of dedicated craftsmanship, into an enchanting whole. I believe it is these local wonders that are the true icons of regional Queensland!

Photographer: Helenna Dohle

2017 TOURING ARTISTS

Artist: Jo St BakerArtist Location: RedcliffeMedium: Bamboo resin and sand sculptured 7 figures (2017)Dimensions: 50x 50x 50cmArtist Statement:
Creating dribble castles of sand from an early age has ignited in me
the love of sculptural forms made possible in nature.
Anthropomorphic figures formed in the sand as it ran through my
fingers resembling classical bodies set in stone.
Like mangroves sprouting out of shallow water, The Sandmen Series
developed from looking very closely at the small things that to me
are an iconic representation of life and community on the coastline
of the Moreton Bay Region.

Photographer: Jo St Baker

The Sandmen

Artist: Jo St BakerArtist Location: RedcliffeMedium: Bamboo resin and sand sculptured 7 figures (2017)Dimensions: 50x 50x 50cmArtist Statement:
Creating dribble castles of sand from an early age has ignited in me
the love of sculptural forms made possible in nature.
Anthropomorphic figures formed in the sand as it ran through my
fingers resembling classical bodies set in stone.
Like mangroves sprouting out of shallow water, The Sandmen Series
developed from looking very closely at the small things that to me
are an iconic representation of life and community on the coastline
of the Moreton Bay Region.

Photographer: Jo St Baker

Iconic Suburban Summer Rituals: Nana’s Back Garden

Artist: Erin DunneArtist Location: RockhamptonMedium: Watercolour and ink on Saunders Waterford paper (2017)Dimensions: 56x 76x 0cmArtist Statement:
Sometimes the iconic images that define a place can best be
identified by looking beyond grand monuments and gestures, and
instead amongst the banal repetition of the humble, every-day
rituals undertaken by its residents.
When I moved into my Nana’s house in Rockhampton a couple of years ago, one of the things that fascinated me, as a recent arrival
to the area, was the regimented and fervent passion for manicuring
lawns and gardens. Every weekend, a dissonant orchestra of lawn mowers, leaf blowers and whipper snippers comes to life and fills the street, before being replaced by the comforting tick and whoosh of sprinklers and hoses.
I’ve depicted Nana performing this iconic suburban Queensland
weekend ritual of watering the back garden, using watercolours to
evoke the early morning light from the summer sunrise drenching the lush green lawn, and the depth of shadow amongst the subtropical
plants.

Photographer: Erin Dunne

Everyone Knows That One Girl

Artist: Shanoa ReaArtist Location: WoombyeMedium: Colour Pencil on Paper (2017)Dimensions: 23.5x 32x 2cmArtist Statement:
The reason why I make art is because it not only makes me happy,
but others too. If I can inspire or brighten up someone’s life, it’s well
worth my time and effort. I am very much into fashion, so when
I saw that the theme was Iconic Queensland, I instantly thought of
the typical Art Chic look: highly trendy, can pull off a short fringe
and loves fashion!
Everyone knows at least one alternative girl. Maybe she’s not even
an artist, but she is very much in tune with her feelings and how
others are feeling. She is very open-minded and non-judgmental.
Friendships are really important to her and she can’t live without
music.
The Australian bush flowers I have chosen mean: perseverance
and willingness to try; strength and courage to cope; renews
enthusiasm, endurance and inner strength; self-approval and
acceptance; and releases fear of rejection.

Photographer: Sarah Williams

Votive

Artist: Meaghan SheltonArtist Location: ImbilMedium: Crochet, starch, found items. (2017)Dimensions: 120x 120x 10cmArtist Statement:
Votive is a selection of works made during my residency at the
Gympie Woodworkers’ Museum in February 2017.
The history of the timber industry is most recognisable as a
Queensland icon. The work was originally created for the old mill
office at the Museum, as an installation based work. The austerity
of the building reflects the hardship of pioneering days.
It was the absence of the feminine that drew me to the office. Votive
speaks of stories omitted and overlooked. The subtle differences in
colour, due to age and materials, reflect the unspoken experiences
of colonial women.
The doilies and lace remain remnants of their struggle and
testament to the obsolescence of sentimentalising and isolating
women.

Artist: Alan TullochArtist Location: IpswichMedium: Print Performance on Video (2017)Dimensions: 86x 65cmArtist Statement:
Float is a print performance quick-paced as an edited video. It
stages a connection between an arguably iconic regional backyard
in the former coal mining region of Ipswich and the iconic Great Barrier Reef.
Under a fairy-light draped clothes-hoist, a tropically decorated swimming pool is set up. Onto the surface of the pool’s water,
the artist dry screen-prints Ipswich coal dust to create a floating image of the Queensland coastline, the Great Barrier Reef and the
location of the Galilee coal basin.
This image is then changed by water currents and actions of the artist to extend the meaning of the work.

Photographer: Alan Tulloch

Universal Pulse 1

Artist: Barbara CheshireArtist Location: GulliverMedium: Oil on canvas (2016)Dimensions: 76x 120x 4cmArtist Statement:
This artwork is a personal metaphor that signifies our waterways and their importance in the survival of life in Regional Queensland – the reds underpinning as the blood of life, black as all that is and white, the sacred and spiritual essence of such places.
This framework developed as a result of several different amazing
experiences at various regional waterways. Each waterway has the wonderful ‘Wow’ factor about it – a sensation that gave me a sense
of being refreshed and alive.
There’s a universal message: when humans respect, nurture and
look after our waterways, we benefit with life. This message is often demonstrated in the stewardship of our environment and is a subject repeated continually throughout historical, political,
social and cultural circumstances.
Our waterways are the life of Queensland.

Photographer: Barbara Cheshire

Bait Ball

Artist: Jane DennisArtist Location: CooktownMedium: Ink (2017)Dimensions: 100x 64x 4cmArtist Statement:
Fish: an icon of simple beauty and diversity. As an artist I seek the simple and most direct methods. As a printmaker, I have adopted the Japanese printing technique, GYOTAKU, using real fish as the
printing plate which reveals each species’ uniqueness.
Inking then rubbing, transferring a whole fish onto rice paper, I am
entranced by the biological details that each print reveals. Their scales and fins show how eternally prehistoric they are as our
living ancestors.
Diving amongst coral with fish shimmering in shoals, the ocean’s underworld is revealed as a beautiful experience.

Artist: Alinta KrauthArtist Location: WitherenMedium: Digital Pigment Print (2017)Dimensions: 30x 45x 1cmArtist Statement:
Rain Fields is a series of digital images that represent my home in
the Scenic Rim, where rainforest meets hot sun-burnt fields.
Layered techniques of digital drawing mimic more traditional
styles. With manipulated photographs of classic rural Queensland
gates and field scenes, collaged local flora and fauna, farming and
working animals, these images represent that meeting point of
mainstream and personal symbolism.

Artist: Alinta KrauthArtist Location: WitherenMedium: Digital Pigment Print (2017)Dimensions: 30x 45x 1cmArtist Statement:
Rain Fields is a series of digital images that represent my home in
the Scenic Rim, where rainforest meets hot sun-burnt fields.
Layered techniques of digital drawing mimic more traditional
styles. With manipulated photographs of classic rural Queensland
gates and field scenes, collaged local flora and fauna, farming and
working animals, these images represent that meeting point of
mainstream and personal symbolism.

Photographer: Alinta Krauth

Into the Blue

Artist: Andrea Baumert HowardArtist Location: Eastern HeightsMedium: Fineliner and watercolours (2017)Dimensions: 70x 56x 5cmArtist Statement:
The Queensland coast is synonymous with beautiful landscapes and one of the many draw cards to our state are the majestic
whales on their yearly migration. This is a spectacle that brings
magic and awe to all those who witness it.
This piece uses a fine liner in pointillism style and is overlaid with loose watercolours to evoke the peace and calm of the deep oceans off the east coast of Australia and these enormous graceful
mammals who call them home.
It serves as a reminder of how special and precious our natural environment is and how our actions inland can affect our oceans.

Artist: Ariella AndersonArtist Location: BargaraMedium: Recycled clay, oxides, copper glazes, earthenware, metal ring (2017)Dimensions: 21x 10.5x 10.5cmArtist Statement:
Strength of materials equals the bond between its particles. The finer the particles are, the less gaps or pockets of air exist -the tighter the cohesion is, resulting in a unified harmonious entity. Recycled white clay finely ground and sievedwith the addition ofnumerous oxides were used to build and colour the layers of this vessel. Handbuilt, painstakingly slow and laboriously demanding- the task of meshing those fine particles together echoes the delicate,measured and challenging task of building one cohesive society under the blue sky of this state of QLD. The strength and durability of this vessel is to be measured by the understanding and forgiveness one allows for self-definition and the freedom of existence of a work in progress unit. Being strong yet fragile, cohesive yet individual.

Artist: Ariella AndersonArtist Location: BargaraMedium: Recycled clay, oxides, copper glazes, earthenware, metal ring (2017)Dimensions: 21x 10.5x 10.5cmArtist Statement:
The strength of materials equals the bond between its particles and the finer the particles are, the fewer gaps or pockets of air, the tighter the cohesion is, resulting in a unified harmonious entity.
Recycled white clay, finely ground and sieved with the addition of numerous oxides, were used to build and colour the layers of this
vessel.
Handbuilt, painstakingly slow and laboriously demanding, the task of meshing those fine particles together echoes the delicate, measured and challenging task of building one cohesive society under the blue sky of this state of Queensland.

Photographer: Ariella Anderson

Going Home

Artist: Colleen HelmoreArtist Location: Burnett HeadsMedium: Watercolour (2017)Dimensions: 53x 43x 3cmArtist Statement:
Water, colour and light define my artwork, both in medium
and subject. Landscapes, still life and portraits can all change
depending on the light in which they are viewed;l the light defines the shapes and creates the atmosphere. It is then my challenge to capture this light and atmosphere in my painting.
In Going Home I have depicted the iconic Queensland outback
atmosphere that I have experienced in our travels, out past
Longreach, in the drought a few years ago. Vast open space with little vegetation, dry, hot and hazy horizons, and the feeling of desertion, juxtaposed with the feeling of belonging and comfort a great home can offer.

Photographer: Colleen Helmore

Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio Ulysses)

Artist: Emily SzilveszterArtist Location: TaranganbaMedium: Gouache on watercolour paper (2017)Dimensions: 18x 23x 2cmArtist Statement:
These delicate, iridescent blue butterflies are a popular emblem of tropical Queensland. Often seen floating under the rainforest canopy and through suburban gardens, these creatures represent both the beauty and delicate nature of our relationship with the natural environment. Once abundant, these butterflies are now suffering from a mysterious decline in numbers, with many breeders experiencing significant losses of the animal during the caterpillar stage without any obvious explanation. This artwork was created as part of a larger series, “Butterfly July”, a daily painting practice that allows me to continue to develop my painting skills and open my eyes to the many stunning varieties of butterfly, their life stories and the importance of projecting vulnerable species.

Photographer: Emily Szilveszter

Queensland Seahorse (Hippocampus queenslandicus)

Artist: Emily SzilveszterArtist Location: TaranganbaMedium: Gouache on watercolour paper (2017)Dimensions: 42x 30x 5cmArtist Statement:
The delicate Queensland seahorse is only found in inner reef
waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Seahorses reside in the shallow
waters of the continental shelf, feeding and finding protection in
seagrasses and coral reefs.
Unusually, they are one of the very few species of fish that swim
upright, using their dorsal fin to propel themselves, however they are often found with their tails wrapped around coral and other
objects to stop themselves being pulled by the currents. The male seahorse incubates eggs and after about two weeks up to 1,500 baby seahorses hatch, each one measuring a minuscule 5mm.
This artwork was inspired by a previous painting series I undertook, titled Underwater April, a daily painting practice that allowed me to continue to develop my painting skills and opened my eyes to
many wonderful and weird denizens of the sea, their life stories
and the importance of protecting vulnerable species.

Photographer: Emily Szilveszter

The Next Big Thing

Artist: Felicia LloydArtist Location: GladstoneMedium: DigitalpPrint on cotton rag (2017)Dimensions: 59x 43x 5cmArtist Statement:
This work reflects the unique and iconic elements of the Gladstone
Region and the growth of artistic communities in regional areas.
They crop up in unexpected places, in not always the most
favourable conditions for an artist – amongst industry, mining, transport … after boom towns have erupted and exploded.
While economic and social structures resettle after a fast and furious growth, artistic communities thrive and grow. Amongst the
warehouses and factories, on the docks and within the shipping containers themselves, artistic communities develop organically and quickly, and help sustain the communities they belong to.
Gladstone is a port city, a hub for trade and transport and a location
known for growth and development in industry and mining.
Shipping containers are symbolic of the discarded and re-purposed
materials and spaces reclaimed by artists.They are a reminder of the communities that continue as the dust settles around.

Photographer: Felicia Lloyd

Away 2

Artist: Glenda HobdellArtist Location: Slade PointMedium: Mixed media on kraft paper (2017)Dimensions: 63x 92x 3cmArtist Statement:
Away 2 is the second in a series of works created as a response to my return to Mackay after 30 years away.
On the long drive from Brisbane, the southern landscape changes
dramatically from grazing land to sweeping cane fields, distant mountains and glimpses of the turquoise seas, before transforming magically again into the iconic ocean vistas of the Whitsunday
Islands and luscious Eungella Ranges.
Memories of the area are vivid and remain indelibly locked in my psyche, emerging in dreamlike metaphors such as this work, reminiscent of place and experience.

Photographer: Glenda Hobdell

The Goat Track

Artist: Jennifer RedmondArtist Location: HighvaleMedium: Charcoal and pastel (2017)Dimensions: 90x 78x 1cmArtist Statement:
Rising upward and towards Mt. Nebo is our iconic Goat Track.
This track was opened 95 years ago connecting the Valley to Mt. Nebo. It is believed to have been built in the 1920s by returned servicemen living in nearby soldier settlements. The track they were opening went through mountainous rocky terrain and would
have been back-breaking work with only picks and shovels.
The Goat Track had been used by the public but was devastated
by flooding rains in 2011 and not reopened until 2014. At the
reopening of the track it was said, Now the public can relive those
historical steps taken by former soldiers all those years ago.
The track has always been a gravel surface and this is in keeping
with the iconic nature of the area, portraying the strength and
fortitude of those returned soldiers.

Photographer: Redmond

Sounds like Sunset

Artist: Kerry WilliamsArtist Location: MackayMedium: Digital print on metallic media (2017)Dimensions: 76x 101x 1cmArtist Statement:
What if we could see sound?
This artwork is a visual interpretation of the astoundingly noisy
racket made by the iconic rainbow lorikeet. This blue headed little
bird is a Queensland icon and features in millions of tourist snaps
and memories. They look beautiful and sound unforgettable. They are popular residents in Mackay, often photographed hitch-hiking on top of the sugar trucks.
When I think of my home, I think of Mackay’s main street at sunset where you are treated to a spectacular performance by hundreds upon hundreds of rainbow lorikeets. The noisy little parrots are almost deafening as they compete for the best position in the stately palms that grow down the centre of the street. Add to that a striking sunset and gentle ocean breeze and you can’t help but see their noise streaking the darkening sky.

Photographer: Kerry Williams

Delight & Terror

Artist: Kylie StevensArtist Location: Pine MountainMedium: Bremer River Water, Ochre,Paint,Charcoal & Copper Leaf on Canvas (2017)Dimensions: 81x 81x 5cmArtist Statement:
The jewel of my community, the iconic Bremer River, is our unique treasure. More days than not, the Bremer delights as a shimmering ribbon, lazily adorning our home, shaping us into an iconic Queensland community. However, the devastation wrought when the Bremer floods also shapes our community.
Living with a river can bring both delight and terror, as many have
experienced in Queensland’s regions. When the water recedes, we rise up, we rebuild and in the process we connect.
In my homage, Delight & Terror, I have used water from the Bremer
River and a technique that deliberately forces a loss of control,
allowing the water to find its own path on the canvas. This is a risky process that results in organic, natural markings before
further elements are created with intent and precision.

Photographer: Kylie Stevens

Girrelau Marr

Artist: Laurie NonaArtist Location: Badu IslandMedium: Linoprint on paper (2016)Dimensions: 105x 85x 3cmArtist Statement:
The spirit of dance, Girrelau Marr, is a depiction of a spiritual
image capturing what’s involved in the mind of a warrior dancer
performing his traditional dances.
It transports us to a state beyond words, our bodies become the essence of the dance; we are an extension of, and in sequence
with, the rhythms of the drums.
The songs command our spirits; we are carried along through different dimensions until we become the dance; young warriors who hold lightening in our hands, understanding the essential of spiritual powers that is the Zugubal’s (spiritual ancestor’s) universe
in the stars above.
We are connected by rhythms to the spiritual eye of our ever watchful kuikumabaigal (grandfathers).

Artist: Lynda BlackArtist Location: CooranMedium: Hand-drawn charcoal stop-motion animation (2016)Dimensions: Video animationArtist Statement:
This work was created after a conversation with award winning, Queensland author Inga Simpson, prior to her (recent) release of ‘Understory, a life with trees’. It combines basic stop-motion processes with large, hand-drawn charcoal drawings. The changing scenes explore the seasonal movements of growth throughout the life of this important rainforest tree found in my locality. It is used in plantings to replace the weedy and invasive Camphor Laurel trees as part of Landcare programs to protect native species.
The challenge was to interpret a few pages of text provided to me by Inga; it featured a brushbox tree visible from her window and her relationship with trees. I imagined being the life of this tree, responding to the moon, sun, rain, changing temperatures, the earth and the touch of human hands gathering ‘my’ regenerative seeds and the touch of ‘my’ leaves against the glass window.

Photographer: Lynda Black

Beachfront Smoke House

Artist: Raelean HallArtist Location: CurrimundiMedium: Oil (2017)Dimensions: 45x 119x 3cmArtist Statement:
Steady economic progress and the dream of owning beachfront
on the Coast has shifted noticeably from temporary to permanent housing: from gunyah, to beach-shack, to modern home. Yet colourful childhood memories draw us back to our grassroots.
I am fascinated by our grassroots culture where stories, myths, and fables reinforce our independence while securing connections for safety and togetherness. I respond to Jack Zipes’s notion of how rebellion, resourcefulness and the art of subversion in fairy-tales creatively project our evolving needs.
Beachfront Smoke House retells the tale of The 3 Little Kids living
on the beachfront, where stronger safer coastal housing results in living happily-ever-after. And there’s a moral to every story, it’s eat or get eaten!
…and then the hungry wolf plunges down the chimney into
the cooking pot sending wonderful aromas throughout the
neighbourhood. In joy we swung on the backyard Hills Hoist,
singing merrily, WHAT’S THE TIME MR WOLF?

Photographer: Raelean Hall

Street Series 17 – Hatches, Matches and Dispatches

Artist: Rebecca LewisArtist Location: East IpswichMedium: Lino print on vintage paper and timber (2017)Dimensions: 15x 74x 2cmArtist Statement:
Nothing quite says iconic Queensland to me like wide verandas
and high set homes, commonly referred to as a Queenslander.
The Street Series is constructed entirely from locally salvaged
materials. Whilst this piece depicts a fictionalised street, the
buildings are all based on real houses in my home town of Ipswich.
Each image is printed onto vintage newspaper discovered beneath lino floors when friends and family were renovating. Every image is then painstakingly hand cut and glued to short sections of VJ cladding, which was rescued from a site where three lovely old houses once stood.
Using materials collected from Queenslander homes allows me to create pieces which are regionally specific and speak to anyone
who has lived in and around these iconic buildings.
This piece is titled Hatches, Matches and Dispatches, which is what my Nanna called the Births, Marriages and Deaths columns of the paper.

Photographer: Rebecca Lewis

Outback Memory Patchwork (Blackall-Tambo Drive with Margot & Lorelei)

Artist: Rose RigleyArtist Location: CairnsMedium: Mixed media installation (44 monotypes, hand and machine stitched on paper) (2016)Dimensions: 120x 120x 1cmArtist Statement:
This work is a nod to the community of can-do individuals of
Blackall, and the vastness of the environment they find themselves
in.
Just like the country which inspired the work, timeless, endless
and awe-inspiring, there is no horizon line or point of reference,
each small piece forming part of a greater whole. Held together by deceptively strong threads, stitched in homage to the local
women, the quilters, the fabric sewers, the craft makers, and the
family menders.
The work pays homage to the patchwork of the female characters
that form the fabric and the backbone of all small outback
communities. These strong, honest, funny and generous women
are my Iconic Queensland.

Photographer: Michael Marzik

Glasshouse Mountains

Artist: Shan WoodArtist Location: Samford VillageMedium: Cold Wax (2017)Dimensions: 41x 51x 4cmArtist Statement:
This work reflects the unique and iconic elements of the Gladstone Region and the growth of artistic communities in regional areas.
They crop up in unexpected places, in not always the most
favourable conditions for an artist – amongst industry, mining, transport … after boom towns have erupted and exploded.
While economic and social structures resettle after a fast and furious growth, artistic communities thrive and grow. Amongst the
warehouses and factories, on the docks and within the shipping
containers themselves, artistic communities develop organically
and quickly, and help sustain the communities they belong to.
Gladstone is a port city, a hub for trade and transport and a location
known for growth and development in industry and mining.
Shipping containers are symbolic of the discarded and re-purposed materials and spaces reclaimed by artists.They are a reminder of the communities that continue as the dust settles around.

Photographer: Shan Wood

Learn the Weave

Artist: Simone ArnolArtist Location: KamerungaMedium: Graphite and traditional dye as watercolour on plywood (2017)Dimensions: 76x 45x 2.5cmArtist Statement:
Granny’s house, an iconic Queenslander, became the heartbeat
to my family gatherings. 29 Minnie Street was blessed with the happiest memories, cultural teachings and stories being passed
on to the next generation. With her passing, she took a lot of traditional knowledge and skills, one being the art of the basket
weaving.
I came to realise our Elders carried knowledge and they embodied a wealth of wisdom and experience of nature gained over millennia from direct observations which has been transmitted over
generations.
I have used the actual traditional yellow dye used in basket weaving as watercolour in my drawing. I have re-used one of our old kitchen cupboard doors, reminiscent of the Queenslander
kitchen interiors, to frame this story.
Learn the Weave continues our traditional practices.

Photographer: Simone Arnol

Resilience

Artist: Vicki ButtroseArtist Location: WarwickMedium: Acrylic (2017)Dimensions: 45x 92x 4cmArtist Statement:
Western Queensland, with its never-ending plains, makes up a
large part of our state. The immense space of this place is serenely
beautiful, but also harsh. The isolation, the drought and the heat,
require resilience from those who live there.
Hanging your sheets on the line, week after week, shows a
determination to survive. In my painting, the sheets are out to dry, and the clouds may hold some moisture, but it’s not going to rain today.
Maybe it will soon.
I have often been struck by the thought that floating sheets take
on the shape and character of clouds, that they could just drift up
and join the clouds moving overhead to travel to some new place beyond the horizon, where it rains and life is not so hard.

Photographer: Vicki Buttrose

My view…nature of an icon

Artist: Donna DavisArtist Location: Deebing HeightsMedium: Digital print onto transparent acrylic (2017)Dimensions: 80x 55x 5cmArtist Statement:
This work explores notions of the iconic through an architectural and ecological lens. By looking through a Queenslander window,
the work houses a series of panels evocative of stained glass, depicting images of diverse ecological systems in my region. The imbued feeling of stained glass underpins the conceptual idea of
constructing a narrative.
This story tells my tale, viewing nature as an icon and revealing how
I perceive its power to create a place of wonder and reverence; and most importantly how it stands as a marker to my sense of home.
With nature as the protagonist in this story however, it is one in
a state of flux, with human interventions being the leading cause
of change.
The four corner panels depict the Cooneana Olive, a critically
endangered plant species endemic to my region, to remind us of
the ephemeral nature of an icon.

Photographer: Donna Davis

Carone

Artist: Sabrina LauristonArtist Location: BargaraMedium: Silver gelatin on analog (2016)Dimensions: 30x 30x 0cmArtist Statement:This portrait of Carone is one of 32 portraits collected in my project
Foreign Land featuring portrait film photography and related written
stories based on interviews with migrants from the community of Bundaberg, Queensland.
The project as a whole represents the broader migrant trends that
occurred in Australia since the post war years. The works share the stories of people who have arrived from all corners of the globe, from southern Europe, to South East Asia, the Middle East, Africa
and places in between.
The works reflect the reality of migration, the success and happiness, the homesickness and loneliness, and take the viewer on an emotional journey as it explores multiculturalism and its
place in regional Australian communities.

Photographer: Sabrina Lauriston

My Despondent Child

Artist: Maaret SinkkoArtist Location: YeppoonMedium: Watercolour (2017)Dimensions: 45x 35x 1cmArtist Statement:
My son put in a spectacular effort working a ridge at Fossil Dig
Site #1, outside of Richmond in the state’s north-west. This
watercolour study documents my son’s ultimate quest for the
Kronosaurus queenslandicus.
Fossils won’t dig themselves out. Who knows if he could be
standing on the prize of his life?
It was great to be outdoors in a part of Queensland we had never explored before. There is so much to see and do once you step out of your comfort zone. We camped rough and we also ‘glamped’.
I completed this little watercolour study at the site in July 2017.

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Flying Arts is a not-for-profit organisation inspiring the appreciation, practice and professional development of the visual and media arts as a lifetime interest or career throughout regional and remote Queensland, supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, the University of Southern Queensland and corporate partners and benefactors. Support the work of Flying Arts by donating to the Art for Life Giving Fund. Donations are tax deductible.